The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Everywhere I hear the sound
Of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
For fighting in the street, boy
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Hey, think the time is right
For a palace revolution
'Cause where I live the game to play
Is compromise solution
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Get down
Hey, said my name is called Disturbance
I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king
I'll rail at all his servants
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Get down
Of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
For fighting in the street, boy
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Hey, think the time is right
For a palace revolution
'Cause where I live the game to play
Is compromise solution
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Get down
Hey, said my name is called Disturbance
I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king
I'll rail at all his servants
Well, now what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock and roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London Town
There's just no place for street fighting man, no
Get down
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Street Fighting Man Lyrics as written by Mick Jagger Keith Richards
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Abkco Music Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
one of the great protest songs of all time.
Song was written after JAgger marched in Vietnam rally.
Intresting note: This song was actually banned at a chicago vietnam rally for fear of causing a riot. Definitley a rally starting kind of song.
I thought the king lyric was right. It's quite funny trying to imagine Mick Jagger as a street fighting man...now Keith Richards...thats another story! By the way: this song is great!
Keith Richards fucked up tuning with the engaging rhythm is the backbone of this song. This is one of the most original rock songs of the 60s.
Purportedly, the inspiration for this song is Tariq Ali, a strident British Pakistani.
Wikipedia: "The song is about political strife, and Jagger allegedly wrote it about Tariq Ali after Jagger attended several of Ali's demonstrations. In 1987, Ali released an autobiography of the 1960's entitled Street Fighting Years, which gives credence to the theory that the song was inspired by Ali's public demonstrations. "
i love this song
Hell yeah! Rolling Stones, Street Fighting Man! G7!!!
You just hit G8......<br /> <br /> <br /> ......."If you like pina coladas!"
Just heard this song for the first time today, and I have to say, it's punk as fuck, without all the trappings of playing too fast or sounding like a snotty kid from the suburbs. I can imagine that guys in bands like The Clash and The Damned secretly cranked this up when none of the excessively "true" believers of punk were around to deride them for it. Rock and roll will outlive mankind!
This reminds me of Stokely Carmichael's slogan, "Burn, Baby, Burn."
At this time, the US military was killing 500 innocent civilians per week in Vietnam. The whole world knew it. The only people in the dark were dim witted, red stated, fried-pork-rind eating American dunces
The British were fed up. At the time this song came out, hundreds of thousands marched on the US embassy in London and Jagger was there.
My dream: To throw Molotov cocktails into mansions while this song is blasting in the background
The actual lyric is "kill the queen" and man, this was so written before the Brixton riots, etc. There's PLENTY for a "street fighting man" to do in London these days.
Actually, listening to it, it's "I'll kill the king"